dessert

These are for those times when you just need a little chocolate something..

Mix one box of your favorite dry chocolate cake mix with one can of pumpkin puree.

Yes, it’s really that easy! And I promise it doesn’t taste like pumpkin at all!

To spice things up, feel free to get creative, I often add raspberries or strawberries, you can also add some applesauce in with the pumpkin for a sweeter cupcake. The possibilities are endless and all very satisfying! Bake these little puppies as you would if you had actually made chocolate cupcakes with the mix and voila! you have a little ‘Chocolate Something’ that will run you only 60-100 cals a pop. I bake these at least once a month, and all my girlfriends absolutely love them. Sweet and guilt free! Enjoy!

The weather is warming up and your clothes are covering less and less of your physique. Now is the time of year that everyone becomes a little more tummy-conscious, with beaches and bathing suits on the brain, it’s a little easier to step away from that second helping. However, if your anything like me, despite posting pictures of Gisele and Adriana Lima all over your fridge, your still freaking hungry! So here’s some snacks to keep on hand for when that bikini-body fad diet your doing (despite knowing better!) is leaving you with the tummy grumbles. And yes, you can enjoy them all guilt free! Just maybe not them all at once, if you can help it!

Berries + Cream
Forget about this old classic? Well tsk tsk! Strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, blackberries..you name it, there all super delicious and healthy for you. Buy them fresh, at your local farmers market (if possible) and look for the organic stamp (best if these don’t have any chemicals touching them since you won’t be doing any peeling). As for the cream, my favorites would be Fat Free Reddi-Whip or Soy Whip. Personally, I think Fat Free Cool Whip or Reddi-Whip taste just as decadent as the real thing and have significantly less calories and fat – but if you feel attached to the old classic, use your measuring eye and keep it to a single serving!

Fro -Yo
Pinkberry, Red Mango, YoGo, frozen yogurt shops and trucks are almost as plentiful in NYC as Starbucks so you should never be more than a block away from low calorie satisfaction! Yes, you heard me, take a step away from the Shake Shack line and think of the bikini!! A small (or even tinier MINI size) with two toppings will only run you 150-250 cals and cool you down as your battling the heat. Of course, be mindful when choosing toppings, fruit is the most calorie friendly choice but nuts are also great if your on the hungrier side. And hey, if you decide you need a little chocolate fix – a scoop of the milk chocolate shavings at Pinkberry will only run you about 50cals – have fun!

Frozen Fruits
If you managed to get this far with out freezing grapes or bananas, my friend, you haven’t lived. Go out and buy grapes now (seedless! or you’ll hate me) and put them in your freezer. You’ll thank me. These little treats single handedly got me and my first nyc roommate through some poor, hot, summer nights in our tiny little apartment. A must try!

Sorbet
Sorbet, or as I like to call it, Gelato’s sweet and skinnier sister! She is indeed your friend when those ice cream craving strike and your not quite in the mood for anymore Fro-Yo. Sorbet, should be ingested with caution however, some tend to have TONS of sugar, so read labels and be a savvy shopper! My personal favorite is Ciao Bello’s Raspberry Sorbet, a tiny pint has 4 servings that will run you only 120cals each. Yummm!

 

Want more low calorie options of your favorite foods? email me at gosweetandskinny@gmail.com and we’ll get ‘em up on the site! :)

These delicious cupcakes are a perfect treat for a special someone or for yourself if your in the mood for some chocolately

“I YUMMMM YOU” Cupcakes

1 CUP ALL PURPOSE FLOUR
1/4 CUP UNSWEETENED COCOA POWDER
1/2 TEASPOON BAKING SODA
6 TABLESPOONS OF UNSALTED BUTTER SOFTENED (You can substitute all or half of the butter with applesauce for a lower calorie treat or use Earth Balance/Soy Butter)

1/2 CUP GRANULATED SUGAR
2 LARGE EGGS (You can substitute for 6tsps of flaxseed meal mixed with 2tsps of water)
1 TEASPOON VANILLA EXTRACT
1/2 CUP OF MILK (YOU CAN USE SOY, RICE, ALMOND OR REGULAR MILK)
— OPTIONAL ADD INS (I USE BUT NOT NECESSARY)
4 HEAPING TBLSPNS OF RASPBERRY PRESERVES
CHOPPED UP MILK AND DARK CHOCOLATE BARS

THE ICING –
2 PARTS NUTELLA 1 PART MARSCAPONE
(EX  1/2 CONTAINER OR MARSCAPONE AND 1 WHOLE CONTAINER OF NUTELLA)
*I USE 2 CONTAINERS OF NUTELLA AND 1 FULL OF MARSCAPONE
OPTIONAL — WHITE CHOCOLATE SHAVINGS ON TOP

First, I’ll start this post off with my good old fashioned sugar cookie recipe. Pretty standard, no frills. Then following it, I’m going to show you how you can mix things up a little to make it a little lower in calories or vegan-friendly.

Your Mama’s Sugar Cookie..

3 1/4 cups of All Purpose Flour

1 1/2  tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. salt

3/4 cup of butter

4oz of cream cheese

1 cup of sugar

1 egg

1 tsp of vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 375. Beat butter and cream cheese together till fluffy, then gradually add the egg and vanilla till batter is well combined. Finally mix in the rest of the dry ingredients until a dough is formed.

Bake till doughs puffs and edges turn golden.

Skinny Style Sugar Cookie..

To modify this recipe (or your favorite sugar cookie recipe/mix) to be a little more friendly to your waist line, you can make one or all of the following substitutions:

4 oz cream cheese for FAT FREE cream cheese ( you’ll barely notice the difference, I promise) or Applesauce (which will make cookies sweeter and less creamy)

1 cup sugar for 1/2 cup splenda  OR 1/2 cup sugar and 1/4 cup Agave Nectar

You can also substitute the all purpose flour for whole wheat flour but this will effect how your cookies taste slightly. I tend to add flax seed meal to my sugar cookies because I don’t like them too sweet and I don’t mind the slightly nutty flavor it adds because it’s a great source of omega 3′s.

Vegan-ized Sugar Cookies

To make these yummy treats vegan friendly simply trade the following animal products for an equally delicious alternative:

Egg – for each egg needed mix 1 tsp flaxseed meal with 3 tsp of water and beat till gets a gooey consistency

Cream cheese – trade regular cream cheese for tofu cream cheese or applesauce

Butter – Soy butter works just as well but you can also substitute with coconut oil, which can be really tasty if you don’t mind a slight coconut taste to your baked goodies.

Of course, remember this is just a blue print! My favorite part of baking is experimenting with different ingredients and playing around to create some magic in the oven. You can use any of the above suggestions with your personal sugar cookie recipe or with the box of cookie mix you bought at the store! Sugar cookie dough is a great base for lots of fun and creative cookies!

I absolutely adore any kind of seasonal baking, so I decided to experiment with an old classic, chocolate chip cookies, and see if I could vegan-ize them and make them festive. I put the recipe below, but you can use your personal favorite choc. chip cookie recipe or even a box mix and substitute canned organic pumpkin (make sure it’s not pumpkin pie filling! that will taste different!) for the eggs and soy butter for regular butter. Butter, I found was relatively unnecessary and if you’d like the cookies to be less cakey, you can cut the pumpkin to about half of a can, use your own judgment.

Vegan Friendly Pumpkin Dark Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients

  • 1 can of Organic Pumpkin
  • 1 cup white sugar
  • 1 cup packed brown sugar
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 2 teaspoons hot water
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 cups of dark chocolate chips
  • 1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
  2. Cream together the soy butter, white sugar, and brown sugar until smooth. Mix in a can (or a half of can) of pumpkin then stir in the vanilla. Dissolve baking soda in hot water. Add to batter along with salt. Stir in flour, chocolate , and nuts(optional). Drop by large spoonfuls onto ungreased pans.
  3. Bake for about 10 minutes in the preheated oven, or until edges are nicely browned.